Throttle control for motors



L. A. COWLES. THROTTLE CONTROL FOR MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYSI, 1918.

1,360,894. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

'11! II. I

Giifizwvaga.

Locum n. cownns', or BRoCK'IoN, MASSAc'HUSErrrS.

Z'O-aZZ whom it may oonce mzx -Be it known that I, LUCIAN A. GoWLEs,

THROTTLE ,oo'nrnon am. Morons.

a citizen of the-United States,-residing at Brockton, in. the county of Plymouth" and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful-Improvements in Throttle 'Control for Motors,'of which the following is a specification. Y 1 j The present invention relates to means for controlling the operation of motors, particularly those with which automobiles are equipped, and has for itsjobject to provide incon'nection with a throttle lever or handle, a stop adapted to arrest Such lever or handle. in the position where the supply of 'Working fiuid is throttled. down to the amount under which the motor will run at light load, and is adapted to be moved out of the way of the lever or handle so that the latter may be further moved to close the throttle completely, or at least tosuch' an extent as to cause stoppage ofthe motor. With this stop may be, and preferably is, combined a second stop which arrests the controller lever or handle in the position last indicated. 2 i The purpose of the invention may be best i understood by a brief description of the common systems of throttle controllers for automobile motors, with a statement ofthe improved result which is sought bythe present invention. So far as I am aware, automobiles at present are. universally equipped with one or another form ofthrottle lever mounted in connection with; the steering wheel to be manipulated so as to open the throttle more or less wldely. The movement of such lever in the throttle closingdirection is limited by a stop so placed as to prevent further. movement-of the lever in that direction at the point where the supplyof working fluid. has been cutolown to substantially the minimum. at which the motor. will run without load. In consequence of this condition the motor cannot be stopped when running without load by the manipulation of the throttle lever alone, but other means must be resortedto when 1t ,1s desired to stop the motor. Now .it frequently happens that when the car lstraveling down hill the driver may wish to use the motor as a brake by -causing it to stop functioning entir l p a it isndriven by the wheels of the car aga nst th i p Specifieationfof Letters seat,

lever quadrant showing my device ."Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Application filea ua Jai, 1918. .Serial No.1 237,671.

ipression developed in the motor cylinders.

That is, in order to check the momentum of the car without using the ordinary brake, the driver may, if he desires, cause the resistance of the motor to perform this oflice; and 1n order that it may operate in this manner most effectively, the motor should be made to cease supplying any working impulse howev'er slight. But with motor icars-as at present constituted the motor cannot be made to act in this manner, andthen be caused to resume its normal functioning after reaching the bottom of the hill, so

easily and conveniently as is desired, but it can only 'be accomplished by closing and opening at the proper time the switch which controlsthe electric ignition system. It is the purpose ofmy invention to make it possible to control the motor by the action of the; throttle lever alone so that it may serve efliciently as a brake in traveling down hill and. may be with equal ease again started in. operation, but without at the sametime making it possible for the driver-to Stall the, motor unintentionally by moving the "controller too far toward the throttle closing position. V

.. My invention consists in thecombination with a throttle controller of a stop having the purpose :and functions above indicated. Also it consists in the stop being adapted to be provided and applied as an attachment to existing motor controllers on automobe applied to the Ford car without requiring any substantial change inthe existing throttle mechanism; but I claim as my invention the principle embodied in the device soshown and described without limitation to the ,details whichv may adapt itwexclusively, to any one make of car or motor. In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective View showing my invention applied to the controlling means of a specific motor car. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device in which the invention particularly resides. is a cross section of apart of the throttle in elevation. Fig. 4 1s a perspective view of the attaching part of the device.

Like reference characters designate the same parts in all the views.

Fig. 3

Havingiregardto the qualification previ-' Ford car, the same being a handle whiohuis mounted upon one end of a rod from which proper connections lead to the throttle valve ture to the motor. This leveris adapted to beoscillatedfso as to adjust the throttle valve more or less widely open,.and;in being thus moved it sweeps over a quadrant 6 having teeth;- -.which;ho1d-.it inE position on the-well known @manner. As here,v shownpthej quadrant'is supported by arnis, 7,"7 ionxthersteering posthousing oi the "automobile. 'At one end of the quadrant -is aifixed stop S-Vxvhich', :in thecars as putonthe market, isarranged a tostop-thethrottle lever when the ViIlVGulS s0 nearly closed as to allow; passage of the :min-imum quantity of mixture which will keep the motor in "motion whenrrunning idly." w 1 1. -My invention is embodiedrin an additional stop 9 whichis mounted close:to:;the quadrant in position to arrest the-throttledever .before the latter; reaches-they stop 8,; and :in connection therewith I adjust the connections iirom the throttle vlever.toutheithrottle valve so that the throttle will "be .iwholly' or substantially closed when-the lever is brought upto the stop 8,'but when lthelever is brought up to the stop 9 the valvewil l be only so iar clos ed asI-to cut downxthe com bustible mixture to the minimummecessary for idle running;

I Stop!) 1s mounted-upon aspringarm'lO "which passes under the supporting 1 arm? of the quadrant and is securedthereto' by a clamp 11. Said clam-p is-so made as to-- embrace thea'rm 7 andthe-"spring arm 10, it may hav'e any desired construction. As

- here shown it is-a solid blook which is nea'rly cut in two by a'deep slot which enables it to straddle the arm 7; and inits free-end it carries a clamping screw 12 OnwWhiCh is threaded a nut 18whereby it may be caused to grip said. arm. In thatpa rt o'fthe clamp which passes under the armthere is formed a shallow notch oryrecess 14 to receive the end of the spring arm 10, and having such dimensions and abrupt limiting wallsthat it holds the spring arm fixed .inposit-ion so that I it cannot swing in either direction-from its given location; This spring arm is pro vided with a projecting end or handle "portion 15 for the purpose of enabling the stop 9 to-bedepressed out of the way of the .throt Under normal 1 conditions the resiliency of thespringarm holds the stop Qup so that crossesthe path of thethrottle-lever and is always at hand to limit the motion, of said lever in the closing direction, whereby.- it

prevents said lever. jit'roin being so far, moved accidentally as to close the throttle entirely and cause" the motorv to stop thus performing the'isa ne function as the stop S in the .oldarrangement.

driver-.WiShes-to use the motor. as a brake,

controlling the supply of combustible mixthe*stop 9 functions in this manner;.but in that special case the driver pushessdown on i thehandle 15 seats to depress the 'stop9 and .Ithen :m'oves the: throttle lever" farther, until it'passesover the stop 9 and brings up against the stop fi. Then the :s'upplyof combustible mixture is entirely out off from theamotor and the driving impulses are no :longer 2 generated thereby, i but 2 instead the motor isad-riven' r-by theh'wheels of the automobile andiall .ithei-iinternal resistance to the movement of the parts of the-motor operates as'a drag to prevent the rapid travel ot the car. i When fit becomes necessaryto start the motor again," the driver simpl'y moves the thrott-le lever in the opening fdirectiom; and

as soon as the throttle is opened widely enough the motor starts to develop powerq "WVhen -imthe course of this opening move mentthe"throttle lever has passed away from the stop.;9,the latter is restored to its normal position by the resilience of the spring arm 10. Thegdriver need nottake thought to remaybe made, and will occur to the skilled mechanic,- so as to obtain the resultsherein described-in other cars and in specifically di-fferent waysi dVherefore I do not limit my claim toprotection to the specific structure here shown, orin any other manner than 'as'required by the express ternis-o'ttlie appended statements of claim; "Also'so far as this invention'is concerne ch'the stop 8 is not. an essential part ofthe combination, but it maybe omitted if desired; "In the'new combinationhere described vthis stop is merely means for preventing movement oi the throttle lever beyond the completely ,cl sejd. p sit ni d top o hi' p p isrnot anabsolute necessity. The feature of pr me importance infthisinventlon is the pro- 7 vision of stop which arrests. the throttle lover,before thegthrottle has been so 'iar Tclosed as to stop the motor; but which may be rendered. inoper tiv at wil so, i p init the throttle' to? be wholly'closed;

'fWliile haveldes'cr bedjt emember which icontrolsrthe throttlenasajlever,I have done o only "for ,iconvenience of'description and without intent to; limit theiinven ion to. th combinationwitha contro le which answers the mechanicaldefinition of a lever. Theretling member movable in a, given path, of a fore, as here used the term lever is typi" cal of any controlling element with which the stop device may be used, whether the same is movable angnlarly or in any other What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a movable motor throttling lever of a stop'for arresting movement of the same when the supply of workstop normally located across said path, and

j said path.

holding means" for the stopjconstructed to prevent its movement in the same direction said throttlingmember, but permitting its transverse movement out of and into the 3. The combinationwith a motor th rot tling movable element, of a stop and spring means for holding said stop displaceably in the path of said member and for automatically returning it to such position after having been displaced therefrom, said means being positive to prevent displacement of the stop in the direct-ion of movement of the member.

The combination with a movable motor throttling member adapted to regulate the quantity of combustible fluid admitted to the motor, of a stop movable into and out of the path of said member, whereby when in.

one position to limit the movement of the member and in another position to permit movement of the member past it, and'means for supporting and guiding said stop construeted and arranged to permit such movement and to return it into the first of the above named positions from the second named position.

5. The combination with a movable motor throttling member, of a stop, and means for holding said-stop acrossthe path of said member in position to arrest the same when the supply of combustible fluid is throttled to the minimum for running the motor under no load, said member and the stop having abrupt abutting portions constructed to prevent displacement of the stop from such path under pressure applied by the throttling member, said stop being displaceable 3 from such path byforce otherwise applied.

6. The combination with a throttling 1ever, ofa stop, means including a spring for holding said stop in the path of said arm in position to arrest the arm when the motor is holding said stop in the path throttled to the minimum supply of combustible mixture on which it will run idly, said means being constructed and arranged to prevent movement of the stop with said lever and in the same direction therewith, but to permit ready displacement of the stop in a transverse direction, whereby the lever may pass over the stop into position 'for fully shutting ofi such fluid.

ver, of a stop, means including a spring for of said arm in position to arrest the arm when the motor is throttled to the minimum supply of combustible mixture on which it will, run idly,

said means being constructed and arranged to prevent movement of the stop with said lever and in the same direction therewith, but to permit ready displacement of the stop in a transverse direction, whereby the lever may pass over the stop into position forfully shutting oil such fluid, said spring then being efiective to press the stop against the lever and to restore it into its previous position when the lever has been returned.

8. The combination with a motor throttling lever, of a quadrant over which the same moves, a spring arm clamped to a part of said quadrant and extending under the same, having a projecting handle by which it may be depressed, a stop attached to said arm near said quadrant and being normally held thereby across the path of the throttling arm, but being displaceable by depression of said handle from such path, whereby the throttling arm may pass over it, and means preventing movement of said spring arm and stop in the same directions as the arm.

9. The combination with a motor throttle controlling lever, a quadrant over which said lever is arranged to move, said quadrant having a fixed supporting arm, a clamp attached to said arm, a spring arm secured by said clamp to the supporting arm and extend-ing under the quadrant, a stop mounted on said arm rising beside the quadrant in position to arrest the lever when the latter is in position for throttling down the motor, said clamp having means for preventing movement of the spring arm and stop with the throttling lever, but the spring arm being yielding to permit depression of the stop beneath the path in which the said lever moves, whereby a further movement of the lever sufficient to cause stoppage of the motor is permitted. v e

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

LUCIAN A. COWLES.

v 7. The combination with a throttling le- 

